2003 Italian Grand Prix
14 September |number = 711 |officialname = LXXIV Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia |circuit = Autodromo Nazionale Monza |location = Monza, Italy |circuittype = |lapdistance = 5.793 |laps = 53 |distance = 307.029 |pole = Michael Schumacher |polenation = GER |poleteam = |poletime = 1:20.963 |fastestlap = 1:21.832 |fastestlapdriver = Michael Schumacher |fastestlapnation = GER |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = |winner = Michael Schumacher |winnernation = GER |winnerteam = |second = Juan Pablo Montoya |secondteam = |secondnation = COL |third = Rubens Barrichello |thirdteam = |thirdnation = BRA}} The 2003 Italian Grand Prix, officially known as the LXXIV Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia was the fourteenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, which took place at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 14 September 2003.L'Italian GP 2003 - Schumacher retakes initiative.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 13/12/2019), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/47031/1/italian-gp-2003-schumacher-retakes-initiative, (Accessed 13/12/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher claim a dominant victory for to reignite his title challenge, beating closest challenger Juan Pablo Montoya. Qualifying had seen Schumacher rediscover some of his early season form, claiming pole position ahead of Montoya. Rubens Barrichello put the sister Ferrari into third ahead of another title challenger in the form of Kimi Räikkönen, while Marc Gené, returning to F1 after a heavy accident for Ralf Schumacher in testing, claimed fifth. The start saw Schumacher have to go on the defensive into the Rettifilo Chicane, fending off a challenge from Montoya around the outside of the right-left combination. They duly exited the corner still side-by-side, as behind Jarno Trulli leapt up to fourth in the to challenge Barrichello. The Schumacher/Montoya fight lasted through to the second chicane, with the #1 Ferrari ultimately emerging ahead of the #3 . Likewise, Barrichello kept Trulli at bay, with the Italian racer's hopes of a podium ended by a hydraulic failure later on during the opening lap. With that the race soon settled down, with Schumacher and Montoya easing away after a barrage of fastest laps. Barrichello, meanwhile, would work to keep Räikkönen and David Coulthard off the podium, while Gené battled with Olivier Panis. The first round of stops would see Schumacher manage to establish a small gap back to Montoya, although the Colombian ace would set a series of fastest laps to close the gap back up. However, this came at the expense of having less fuel in the car, and so the the #3 Williams would stop before he even managed to send a lunge at the #1 Ferrari. The race was therefore effectively over from that moment on, with Schumacher pitting for a second time a few laps later without losing the lead. His only concern would instead be back markers, although the sight of a scarlet Ferrari in their mirrors was usually enough for them to jump out of the way. Furthermore, the race behind would likewise fizzle out after the second round of stops, with Barrichello easing away from Räikkönen, while Coulthard was out with an engine failure. Panis was another retiree after a brake failure, while Fernando Alonso could only battle his way up to eighth with his Renault proving to be off the pace. Out front, meanwhile, Schumacher would be able to cruise across the line to claim victory, and extend his meagre Championship lead to three points. Montoya and Barrichello completed the podium ahead of Räikkönen and Gené, with Jacques Villeneuve, Mark Webber and Alonso claiming the rest of the points. Despite being one of the more dull F1 races in history the 2003 Italian Grand Prix would set a new record as the fastest, having been completed at an average speed of 247.585 km/h (153.842 mph). Background Michael Schumacher had seen his title lead obliterated as a result of a poor day in Hungary, leaving the Hungaroring with just a point in hand. Indeed, Juan Pablo Montoya had narrowly missed out on overhauling the German ace, while Kimi Räikkönen had also moved to within two of the title lead. Ralf Schumacher had also gained ground by remained an outside shot for the crown with three rounds left, as was race winner Fernando Alonso. In the Constructors Championship, meanwhile, had been the big winners of the battle of Hungary, claiming the lead by eight points. made way for them having claimed just a single point, with sat just six further behind. , meanwhile, had effectively secured fourth in the Championship after Alonso's triumph, with set to duel with and for fifth. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: ** Gené would take over Ralf Schumacher's car after practice. Practice Overview Free Practice 1 Free Practice 2 Free Practice 3 Warm-Up Practice Results The full practice results for the are outlined below: Qualifying Q1 Report Q2 Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. ** Schumacher was withdrawn after the first qualifying session. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Frentzen was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * 69th career victory for Michael Schumacher.'14. Italy 2003', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2003/italie.aspx, (Accessed 13/12/2019) * 165th win for as a constructor and engine supplier. * Juan Pablo Montoya secured his twentieth podium finish. Standings Victory for Michael Schumacher saw the German ace leave Italy with an enhanced lead in the Championship, and with the potential to claim a record sixth title if he won in Indianapolis. However, second place for Juan Pablo Montoya in Monza ensured that he remained just three points behind the German, and hence could still entertain hopes of taking the crown in the US. Likewise, Kimi Räikkönen had just kept pace with the title fight, leaving Italy seven off the lead, with those three the only title contenders left in the fight. In the Constructors Championship had cut the gap to leaders in half after a double podium on home soil, although they remained four behind. Hence, Williams could win their first Constructors crown since with a one-two in the United Stats, if Ferrari failed to score more than four points. Behind, had almost dropped out of the fight, needing two perfect scores in the remaining two rounds to challenge. Only point scoring drivers are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Italian Grand Prix Category:2003 Grands Prix Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Formula One races in Italy